Uniroyal Rainsport 2 or Kumho Ecsta?
Discussion
I had 2 sets of Kumho Ecsta fitted to my old car (Mk3 Mondeo on 17" rims) and I always found them to be fairly good. They wore quite quickly on the front, but I'd expect that from fairly grippy tyres that are used enthusiastically and driven on back roads whenever possible.
My current car will be in need of new tyres shortly. It has the original(?) Hankooks on the rear and Kumho Ecsta on the front.
The wheels are 16" with 215/55/16 tyres.
I'm considering a replacement set of Kumho Ecsta (sticking with what I know and reasonably cheap), but have heard good things about the Uniroyal Rainsport 2, especially for poor weather use.
Will the Uniroyal tyres be a good choice or would I regret fitting them (and at extra cost)?
What are the various views on the subject?
My current car will be in need of new tyres shortly. It has the original(?) Hankooks on the rear and Kumho Ecsta on the front.
The wheels are 16" with 215/55/16 tyres.
I'm considering a replacement set of Kumho Ecsta (sticking with what I know and reasonably cheap), but have heard good things about the Uniroyal Rainsport 2, especially for poor weather use.
Will the Uniroyal tyres be a good choice or would I regret fitting them (and at extra cost)?
What are the various views on the subject?
I`ve got Rainsport 2`s on my Civic Type-R (17 inch wheels) and the wet weather grip is excellent. In the dry they are good and rarely find myself wanting more grip but at some points would like a little better in the dry. I`ve had them on my car for around 2 years and would defo buy again. Not had any experience of the Kumho Ecsta so cannot give a comparison.
I've got Uniroyal Rainexpert 2's on the front of my MR2 Turbo and I do think they are great tyres, so I'd expect the Rainsport to be similarly impressive! In terms of providing wet weather grip they're fantastic, especially for tackling standing water on the road, which can upset a low, wedge shaped cars like the MR2. It tends to cut through them without drama, by contrast my MX5 could be tossed and turned by standing water on the road.
In the dry, I still find them to be very good. Responsive and with a good stiff sidewall (no scrubbing the sidewalls under heavy conering loads). They may be a little noisy for those who prefer a quiet, soft ride, but I chose tyres to give my MR2 the best response and handling in all weather conditions and the Uniroyals were a good bet for the front (I couldn't get them on the back as my MR2 has 15" wheels all round but with a 195 width at the front and 225 at the back).
In the dry, I still find them to be very good. Responsive and with a good stiff sidewall (no scrubbing the sidewalls under heavy conering loads). They may be a little noisy for those who prefer a quiet, soft ride, but I chose tyres to give my MR2 the best response and handling in all weather conditions and the Uniroyals were a good bet for the front (I couldn't get them on the back as my MR2 has 15" wheels all round but with a 195 width at the front and 225 at the back).
For a similar price, you should be able to get Vredestein Sportrac 3s. A fantastic car in all conditions and very competent in the wet. I almost went for Rainsports, but I can't fault the Sportracs. Recent tyre reviews seem to back this up.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2011-European...
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2011-European...
Update:
I had a set of 4 RainExpert fitted (not a sports car, a MkIV Mondeo Estate). I decided to go for these rather than the RainSports as the tread was more 'open' which I thought may be better for wet, mud (and possibly snow) on the back roads. The car is used briskly when off the motorway, so I wasn't sure if the new tyres would 'squirm' a bit.
So far (allowing for the placebo effect, although the old tyres did have a few mm of tread left), I'm impressed with the grip in greasy conditions (cornering and traction) and when leant on in dry conditions. There was no noticeable 'squirming', although I do try to feed in the steering smoothly. The ride quality is good and the road noise on the motorway appears low.
Feel and feedback seem good too.
It remains to be seen how they perform in a deluge.
I had a set of 4 RainExpert fitted (not a sports car, a MkIV Mondeo Estate). I decided to go for these rather than the RainSports as the tread was more 'open' which I thought may be better for wet, mud (and possibly snow) on the back roads. The car is used briskly when off the motorway, so I wasn't sure if the new tyres would 'squirm' a bit.
So far (allowing for the placebo effect, although the old tyres did have a few mm of tread left), I'm impressed with the grip in greasy conditions (cornering and traction) and when leant on in dry conditions. There was no noticeable 'squirming', although I do try to feed in the steering smoothly. The ride quality is good and the road noise on the motorway appears low.
Feel and feedback seem good too.
It remains to be seen how they perform in a deluge.
Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 12th November 17:54
CoolHands said:
You'll be in a hedge tomorrow, now you've said that!
All hedges avoided so far. On a drive along/through the aforementioned muddy, wet back roads, I was very impressed with the grip (lateral and traction/braking), feel and progressive (limited)slippage from these.
Recommended.
Check the load rating before choosing.
My Mazda 6 MPS should run on Bridgestones which are "93" rated but I put on Kumho Ecstas which are "89" rated. The Kumhos have more flexible sidewalls which affects the ride in a good way, but makes the handling more squishy.
I'll probably go with Falkens next time for a better price/performance compromise.
My Mazda 6 MPS should run on Bridgestones which are "93" rated but I put on Kumho Ecstas which are "89" rated. The Kumhos have more flexible sidewalls which affects the ride in a good way, but makes the handling more squishy.
I'll probably go with Falkens next time for a better price/performance compromise.
The Rain Expert load rating is fine. I've not noticed any adverse effects compared with the worn(~3mm remaining) Kumho Ecsta/Hankook combo previously fitted.
The sidewalls needn't be overly stiff(think BMW on run-flats). I'm a fan of compliant tyres and suspension for the kind of roads I enjoy driving on, rather than ultra-low profile and too stiff. The car isn't a wannabe racer, it's a diesel estate on standard(albeit excellent all-round for the road) suspension on 16" wheels. Steering feel and turn-in are more good enough for such a large utility car.
For the road, tyres that absorb bumps, "load-up" and are progressive in slip make more sense than ones that suddenly lose grip.
The sidewalls needn't be overly stiff(think BMW on run-flats). I'm a fan of compliant tyres and suspension for the kind of roads I enjoy driving on, rather than ultra-low profile and too stiff. The car isn't a wannabe racer, it's a diesel estate on standard(albeit excellent all-round for the road) suspension on 16" wheels. Steering feel and turn-in are more good enough for such a large utility car.
For the road, tyres that absorb bumps, "load-up" and are progressive in slip make more sense than ones that suddenly lose grip.
Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 14th November 11:24
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